March marks the beginning of the end of winter! As we bid adieu to the inversion, snowy conditions and icy roads, new opportunities for growth and self-discovery begin to appear. The brightening sky is the limit!
Neutralize Negative Feelings
Spring is on its way! As we enjoy soaking up the first rays of springtime sun, UMOCA will be presenting Ana Prvacki: Neutralize Negative Feelings. Prvacki herself will be present to talk about her work in an opening reception.
Using social codes and cultural structures as a raw material, Serbian-born, Los Angeles-based artist Ana Prvacki (pronounced Pri-vatch-key) turns the rituals of hospitality into performance art. Prvacki was recently commissioned to create a series of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) in Germany that were dispersed throughout the city and on German television. The television spots helped citizens and tourists navigate difficult social circumstances such as personal space, spinach in one’s teeth or accidentally spitting while speaking. These awkward scenarios were played out on camera and then corrected by the artist, etiquette counselor Vartouhi Keshishyan and comedy group The Intecollectuals.
In her exhibition Neutralize Negative Feelings, Prvacki morphs her PSA work into a new artistic direction; here, her interventions into daily life are meant to transform the viewer’s perception as she explores social anxiety and the comedic potential of faux pas. The installation is comprised of ceramic hearth plates, napkins with embroidered spinach spots, and the complete cycle of her PSA series. The public is invited to engage for the duration of the exhibition in UMOCA’s new “Embroidery and Etiquette Club” every Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. through dialogue about social codes, gossip, sewing circles and days of old. Club members are free to laugh about their favorite circumstantial stumbles while creating embroideries in the style of Prvacki’s exhibition.
Neutralize Negative Feelings, Mar. 1 – Apr 27. UMOCA, 20 S. West Temple. Opening Reception: March 1, 8-10p. Free.
by Brian KershisnikMary Lou Romney
This botanical art exhibit is in honor of Mary Lou Romney, who spent 17 years assisting in the design, implementation and promotion of Red Butte Garden duuring its early days. Her Sego Lilly fountain design is the most prominent featureas you enter, standing 10 feet in diameter. In the plaza are carefully placed red sandstone benches which include her wildflower drawings etched into the stone. Mary Lou expressed in her diary that her 42 pieces of art on display at the Red Butte Gardens Art Show was the crowning achievement of her career. Now, her work is joined by the work of her daughter, and you’ll find Mary Anne Romney’s more modern techniques displayed side by side with Mary Lou’s botanical pieces.
Mary Lou Romney, Mar 1 – 24. Red Butte Garden Visitor Center, 300 Wakara Way. $10, U of U students free with ID.
35 X 35
The Artists of Utah 35 x 35 exhibition (35 artists, 35 and younger) opens at the Finch Lane Gallery on Friday, March 8, with an Awards Reception held during Gallery Stroll on April 19.
The exhibition gives Utah’s younger generation of artists a unique opportunity to show off their work. Styles range from the traditional to the cutting edge. Artists of Utah’s online magazine, 15Bytes, will produce a full-length documentary on the artists in the exhibit.
35 X 35, Mar 8 – Apr 26. Finch Lane Gallery, 54 Finch Lane. Free.
Figure Drawing – From Life, Memory and Imagination
If you caught yourself admiring the art on the cover of this month’s edition of CATALYST, you will be delighted to know that Brian Kershisnik will be holding a figure drawing workshop at Art Access Saturday, March 23. The focus of this workshop will be to explore the aspects of assimilating the idea of the human figure in artwork. Using an undraped figure model, you will have the chance to engage in figure drawing from life, memory and imagination. Kershisnik will also be talking about different worlds of observation, memory and imagination, but most of the day will be spent drawing.
Figure Drawing, March 23, 9a-5p. Art Access Gallery, 230 S. 500 W. $50 (includes art supplies and a light lunch). Limit 12 participants, so register early.
Workshop: Basic Electronics for Makers
If the field of electronics has ever sparked your curiosity, now is your chance to learn about voltage, current, resistance, impedance and how to use Ohm’s law. During this four-week course offered by the Leonardo, you will design, build and measure simple circuits. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you will build a simple stereo headphone amplifier that you can take home to show off to your friends and family.
Local Leo, Bruce K. will be teaching the course—with an extensive background in engineering, Bruce runs the Tinkering Garage.
Classes are open to all ages 10 and above. Those who attend will receive a $10 circuits kit included in the cost.
Basic Electronics for Makers, Saturdays Mar 23 – Apr 13. Ages 10 and up. Call (801) 531-9800 (ex 202). The Leonardo, 120 S. Main St. $50 per person, $40 for Leo Members.